All Is Fair
by fivelfleurhavens
Summary: "Don't you hear what I'm saying, Sam? Ne suuntsaa' enne. Can't you see that?" AU
1. Prolouge

**Author Note: Okay, before yall start reading, you should probably read this first. I know that this story will sound alot like the story "Alpha Calling a Cowboy." And I will say that I DID NOT STEAL THIS IDEA. I actually had this idea at around the same time that Wolflover97 wrote her first chapter. So I waited until her story was developed and now that it is, I decided to post this because I couldn't get it out of my mind. And please don't say that I stole her plot. I have a few different characters and a different plot. And of course, before I wrote this, I asked for Wolflover97's permission. And she said to go ahead...so do not acuse me of stealing. Please and thank you for reading this. I hope you like it. I LOVE reviews. Criticism is welcome. :)**

* * *

Story Quote:

_All is fair in love and war. -Unknown_

_

* * *

(Jake POV) October 31, 1997_

_Why couldn't I just stay home? _thought seven year old Jake Ely. My parents had asked my Grandpa Mac if he could take me and my five older brothers for the weekend. And of course that old man had to say yes. So here I am at my Grandpa's log cabin that was settled along the white sands of Secret Beach at Lake Tahoe.

We had already been here for three hours and already bored out of our minds. So to cheer us up, my Grandpa and my Grandma had decided to tell stories about our heritage. As my Grandma Dena was inside making hot chocolate, my Grandpa was gathering firewood and was trying to make a bonfire. My older brother Kit was helping him while me and my four brothers were sitting and waiting to be entertained.

As I waited, I looked around the strange setting. Of course I had been here before, but it always shocked me at how white the sand was. The usually bright turquoise water was now darkened by nightfall. The pine trees were now shaking from the light wind. And the night was so black that I was afraid that some strange creature would come out of the forest to kill us.

I came out of my daze when my Grandma shoved an old, pottery mug into my hand. I saw the smoke billowing off the surface of the hot chocolate and watched the greyish substance in the air. And then I watched it blow away as the chilly October winds blew it out of sight.

Then a bright, dark orange color clouded my vision as my Grandpa finally finished the bonfire. My brothers and I sat down on the petite log bench that Grandpa had created and we waited for our grandparents to tell us a story.

I took a sip of hot chocolate at the exact time Grandpa started the tale with a deep and wise voice.

"Our heritage is quite complicated. The story goes back to when the most famous Shoshone woman was alive. Her name was Sacagawea. And as you boys know, she was the woman who guided Lewis and Clark on their expedition. This story takes place in 1804 through 1805 when Sacagawea was pregnant with her Indian husband's child. A few months after the journey began, Sacagawea gave birth to her child. A few hours after his birth, Sacagawea was cradling him in her arms when she looked out toward the trees and saw a pair of bright eyes staring at her. She squinted into the dark night, but could not see what it was. So the pair of eyes stepped out of the trees and Sacagawea gasped at the giant animal in front of her. It was a wolf."

Grandpa Mac stopped the story to stare at our reactions. He looked at all of our faces and I was pretty sure that he could see the wonder in all of our eyes. Grandpa turned to Grandma and gave her a signal to continue the story. Grandma inhaled and then spoke with a soft, motherly tone.

"Sacagawea stared at the wolf in amazement and almost screamed when the giant, ebony wolf walked closer to her. But the wolf was gentle. He gently rubbed his muzzle on Sacagawea's head and sniffed the bundle in her arms. Being a new mother and all, Sacagawea tucked the baby boy tighter in her arms and was ready to fight although she knew she would lose. The wolf saw and backed up in surrender. He knew she would find out his secret soon enough and so he decided to go ahead and tell her. The wolf walked over behind a tree and transformed into the last thing Sacagawea expected. He turned into a person. A living, breathing human."

"When the now human walked back over to Sacagawea, she could tell it was someone she knew. She looked into his dark brown eyes and saw that it was the husband that she had left behind when she went with Lewis and Clark. His name was Toussaint Charbonneau and he then told her everything. How he had gained some kind of power and how he could transform to a wolf. Sacagawea was curious if her husband had had this power all along and when her husband finally left for the woods, she looked down at her new son and wondered if he to would gain the magical power someday."

Then the magic of Grandma's voice drowned down as she finished the tale. Our eyes were blurred over with interest as we smiled at how cool the story sounded. We had always thought our Shoshone heritage was boring, but after we heard this...well at least i'll never think it's boring again.

"Wait! Does Sacagawea's son ever get the power?" I asked. Grandpa looked over at me with a smile on his face and answered, "Yes he did."

I gasped in wonder and took a sip of my now cold hot chocolate. The quiet night was interrupted when my brothers started howling like a pack of wolves. And then Quinn told them to stop. He whispered something in all of our ears and I smiled at what he said. He suggested we sing a song that was perfect for the Halloween night and the creepy wolf in the story.

I sat there smiling as Quinn,Nate, Adam, and Bryan started singing _Thriller_.

"Cause this is thriller...thriller night!" I listened to their out of tune singing while me and Kit were on the dirt ground laughing.

(Mac POV) 10:00 PM

The cabin was suddenly quiet after my wife and I had put our grandchildren down to sleep. The older ones were already snoring and the younger ones were drooling. I watched my wife walk to our room to go to bed, but I stayed in the living room for a few more minutes to watch my grandsons sleep. I watched Kit with his mouth wide open and snoring the loudest. Bryan was snuggled next to Kit and was twitching in his sleep from a dream. Adam was sucking his thumb. Nate was drooling on a pillow. Quinn was drooling on Nate's face. And Jake was snoring quietly while clutching onto a pillow.

I smiled to myself when I heard Jacob whisper words in his sleep. He was whispering the name Sam over and over again and was hugging the pillow to him. It looked like he thought the pillow was that girl in his dreams.

I looked at the scene in front of me one last time and before I left for the bedroom, I silently whispered, " Ne suuntsaa' enne."

* * *

**Another Note: So what did you think? And by the way...Secret Beach is not a fake place. It is actually a beach on Lake Tahoe in Nevada. I posted a picture of a glimpse of the scenery on my profile. You can go check it out if you want! :)**

**Oh...and throughout the story...I will post the meaning of my made up people's names and there will be a recurring Shoshone phrase (as seen at the end of the chapter!)**

* * *

Name Meanings:

MacArthur: _Son of Arthur_

Dena: _Valley_


	2. The Last Day

__

__

**Warning: Short chapter! Sorry. :( Please review!**

_Thirteen Years Later _

_(Sam POV) May 18, 2010_

"I can't believe it's finally over!"

My best friend Jennifer Kenworthy giggled at my enthusiasm. But I had a reason to be happy. High school was finally over. The last four years had gone by slowly and I never thought this day would get here. I laughed along with Jen as we walked by the lockers and finally made our way out of the school doors for the last time. I then took in the beautiful scene in front of me.

The students that haven't went home yet, were scattered around trying to sign the yearbooks that they haven't gotten around to yet. I heard Jen inhale suddenly as she was pulled away by a girl in her science class. And while I was waiting for Jen to return to my side, I saw a girl with wispy dirty blond hair walking towards me.

Ally McClintock smiled and started chattering away. "Oh my gosh! I can't believe high school is finished! Will you sign my yearbook, Sam?"

I nodded and signed her yearbook with my messy signature. She said that she had to go and we hugged good bye. Jen then returned to my side and we started walking towards the parking lot to go home. But when we were halfway there, I stopped and gasped at what I saw. There he was. My other best friend was propped up against his Chevy truck and I looked him over. His old boots were slightly worn, his blue jeans were old, and his dark blue flannel shirt was on over a white wife beater. And I had to look at him twice to finally notice that he grew his hair out again. I finally came out of my daze with I noticed the old smirk that was still glued on Jake Ely's face.

"Jake! What are you doing here? Aren't you still supposed to be in college? Why are you here and not there?"

His white teeth stood out against his russet skin as he laughed at my questioning. "I got out early and I thought I might surprise you, Brat. But I guess if you want me to leave..." He opened the driver's door and pretended that he was going to leave me there. But I stopped him.

I realized that Jen was still beside me trying not to laugh at out exchange. "Um...Jen, do you mind if I..."

She rolled her eyes at me. "Sure sure. Ride home with Ely. I'll see you Saturday Sam." And with that, she walked off toward her own car. I watched her leave until Jake told me that we had to go.

"Why?" I asked with suspicion. He smiled and answered, "Well...I haven't had time to ride for a while and I would really like to." And I smiled at what he was trying to say.

_River Bend Ranch_

Forty minutes later, Jake and I were already riding through War Drum Flats enjoying the warm sun. On the Monday forecast, it had said that it was going to be warmer than this, but I guess that they were wrong. It was a perfect day. I glanced over at Jake's muscular figure atop his Quarter horse mare named Witch. And of course she was still as temperamental as ever. Gosh, you would think she had a period all the time.

"Let's let the horse's get a drink and take a rest." suggested Jake. I nodded my head in agreement and asked, "Hey, can we sit on that over there?"

Jake looked over to where I was pointing at a boulder that jutted out into the small lake. He nodded and as soon as we ground tied Tempest and Witch, we sat down on the boulder. But because of all the hard work I had to do on my last day of school, I felt sleepy. My eyelids were almost shut and I knew I was slumping on Jake now.

To keep myself from falling asleep and to get my mind off of my upcoming graduation, I started talking. "Jake, will you tell me an Indian story? Like one you use to tell me when we were little?"

I felt him nod above my head and he started reciting an Indian story like it was a well memorized poem.

"Okay. I'm going to tell you the story that use to be your favorite. It's called _Suuntsaa'_. The story began when the Shoshone Indians had just caught a fresh deer to eat. When they were eating that night, a new tribe was passing through and they asked if they could stay. Shoshones were friendlier than most Indians, so they let the Cherokees stay. As they were eating with each other, a Shoshone warrior whose name was Yanisin saw the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. A woman from the Cherokee tribe."

"The elders had warned him not to get too close to any of the Cherokees, but Yanisin could not ignore the woman's beauty and he chose to disrespect the elders. So after they had eaten, the young warrior went over to where the Cherokees were setting up to sleep for the night and asked the beautiful woman her name. She was called Waneta."

"Since the Cherokee chose to stay for about a week, Yanisin and Waneta saw each other secretly every day and night. They disrespected both of their elders by secretly meeting in the middle of night and talking to each other. Well, eventually the elders found out and they were ashamed. The Cherokees suddenly decided to leave and Waneta was never seen again. After everyone left, Yanisin was depressed for years. He did finally marry a Shoshone woman, but he was never able to forget Waneta."

"Years rolled by and all of a sudden he was ninety-one years old. He was gathering herbs one day and he had his back turned toward the valley. Yanisin jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked around and saw her. It was Waneta, but she was not normal. She was transparent and she was dressed in all white. Yanisin blinked to make sure it was real and when he opened his eyes, she was gone."

"He fell asleep that night, but he didn't wake up in his usual setting. His vision was filled with white and he saw everything. Everything in the world. He saw the lands in Africa, India, and just everywhere. His journey halted when he finally landed in a plain white land. Then before his eyes, he saw everything change. The white floors suddenly turned into luscious emerald grass, the ceiling turned into a bright turquoise sky filled with puffy clouds, and a figure appeared before his eyes."

"It was a woman again. It was Waneta standing there with a smile on her face. She reached out and hugged him. Yanisin knew that this was Heaven." concluded Jake. I smiled up at him when he finished the story.

"I think I know why I really liked that story when I was little. It was awful at first, but then it was really romantic! Aw, I hope that happens to me." I said. "Well, not the beginning. I meant the end."

He smiled down at me. "Thanks for getting my mind off of graduation. I needed that. If only there were another way to get my mind off of things."

As I yawned, he started speaking again. "Well, you know there might be a way."

I raised my eyebrow and he continued. "My grandparents actually suggested that my brothers and I get away from the ranch for awhile. Maybe I can talk them into letting you tag along."

A gasp escaped my lips. "Really! Oh crap, I really need that. Wait...when are you and your brothers leaving?"

"We're leaving tomorrow morning. And don't worry, we'll be coming back before your graduation Saturday." explained Jake.

_____Okay, _I thought_________, __If my dad and Jake's grandparents say yes...I will so have to do a touchdown dance in the kitchen! _

__

_**

* * *

**_

_Name Meanings:_

Yanisin: Ashamed

Waneta: Shape-Shifter


	3. The Dream

**_Note: Yeah I know. I'm a terrible author for taking forever. But that's what writer's block does to you. Well here it is! A fresh chapter that I surprisingly cooked up for yall! Hope yall like it. P.S. I love reviews.  
Special Thanks: Thanks SO much to Koley Moley AKA Hippie Boy (guy in my class) for giving me an impulse urge to sit down and finally write this chapter. And thanks to Julissa (Danny Phantom Fan1) for encouraging me! _**

_(Sam POV) (At Lake Tahoe) May 19, 2010_

"Say cheese, Sammy!" I smiled as Quinn snapped a picture of me smiling at the digital camera while sitting on a boulder beside the lake. As you could already guess, my dad had let me come relax for a bit before my graduation on Saturday night. And I am very glad he did because in my seventeen (almost eighteen) years of my life, I have never been to Lake Tahoe. Not once. And my gosh, it was unbelieveable. The clear turquoise water was so clean and pure that you could see the white sand at the bottom. You could smell the scent of the pine trees in the soft breeze and Jake's grandparent's cabin looked like something I would want to live in.

As soon as a few snaps went off, I climbed off the boulder and looked at the picture Quinn had took of me. It had actually turned out okay. I stopped looking at myself and turned my attention on the sound of two boys wrestling. It was Adam and Nate being idiots. But soon their stupidity caught up with them. Nate was eventually pushed into the lake. He wasn't mad, but he did get his revenge by getting out and shoving Adam in too. Soon all of the Ely brothers were jumping in and Quinn just had to make me mad by throwing me over his shoulder and jumping in with me. As soon as I was in the water, I felt warmth in the lake. I sank to the bottom quickly and saw everything through the clear water. I saw Quinn trying to do backflips underneath the water and Bryan waving at me. When I finally drifted back to the top, I couldn't help but laugh at them and myself.

_(9:00 PM) _

After a full day of swimming and goofing off, we all finally settled down near the newly lit bonfire. The flames were dancing in front of my eyes as I ate the smores that Jake's grandma had made us. And gosh were they delicious. I could almost cry at the savory taste the smores brought to my mouth. And of course with me being raised in a good manners crazed family, I had to express my pleasure.

"These smores are really good Dena."

The salt and pepper haired, yet still quite youthful looking Native woman looked at me with amusment in her eyes when she saw that the smores had made my comment come out muffled. She shook her head at me and said, "Thank you, dear. And by the way, you can call me Grandma. You're close enough to family."

I nodded and gave her a thankful smile. While eating my third smore, I noticed a wood sign hanging by a nail on the back door that I hadn't noticed before. It read, "_Suuntsaa'_". I squinted at the sign to make sure I read it right before I asked Mac about it.

"Mac, what does that sign on the door mean?"

He turned his head to see the sign I was talking about and answered me. "It means _Love_ in Shoshone. I made that sign when I was only fifteen years old and gave it to Dena here. And three years after that, we finally got the chance to hang it on our new home."

Of course hearing that, I had to be a typical girl. "Aww! That's so sweet."

That story made me wish I had someone like that. Someone who would look at me like how Mac was looking at Dena. Like he was seeing her for the first time. I could see that after all these years, they still haven't grown tired of each other. The love made me smile.

_(Quinn POV) (1:09 AM)_

_I was walking. Trees were around me. Dirt was beneath me. And a spooky noise more suitable for Halloween was in my ear. Hiss. I looked around my dark surroundings and saw nothing making the noise. I started walking again. Then out of no where, smoke filled my nostrils. I looked ahead of me and saw fire. But it was unusual. The fire was a controlled one, but weird. The flames danced in a perfect circle, while the middle was empty. I stepped forward until I was a good two or three inches away from it. Hiss. There was the noise again. It was coming from the fire. Hiss. _

_I took another step and all of a sudden, I was pulled in by a pale arm. The pale arm threw me on the dirt ground right in the middle of the fire and I was pinned. I squinted through the bright orange flames and I looked up into the obsidian colored eyes of a woman. I could tell she wasn't good in anyway. She opened her mouth and closed her eyes. For a moment I thought she was going to kiss me. But I was wrong. Her full lips pecked my shoulder and I shuddered at how cold she was. She felt my shiver. Her eyes opened to reveal bright bloody red eyes and I gasped at her. She smiled a wicked grin and then I just felt...burning._

_(5:31 AM)_

I woke up in a start. Sweat and dirt covered me from head to toe. Good, it was only a dream. I rubbed the eye boogers and crusties out of my eyes to see that I wasn't in the den of Grandfather's cabin sleeping on the couch, but instead on the dirt floor in the middle of the woods.

Oh yeah, mom always said that I unknowingly slept walk alot at night sometimes. But I had never ended up outside before. I slowly stood up, pulled up my plaid sleeper pants before they completely slipped off of me, and headed for inside the cabin. It was still a little dark outside so it was difficult to find my way back. I drowsily walked and walked. But then I saw something peculiar. There was a pale white stem on a tall tree. I rubbed more crustiness out of my eye and when I looked back up at the tree, the white stem was gone.

It was probably just a mirage.

_(Quinn POV) (9:13 AM)_

While all of my brothers and Sam were out swimming in the lake, I made an excuse that I didn't feel well just so I could talk to Grandpa about the strange dream that I had last night. Grandma had gone to the Farmer's Market down the road so she would be gone for at least half an hour. So it gave me time to talk.

I made myself and Grandpa two ham sandwiches and walked out onto the porch where he was sitting down in an old rocker chair while watching my brothers and Sam swim. I sat down in a matching rocker and gave him half of the sandwich. We sat in comfortable silence until I asked Grandpa about my dream. I filled him in on every detail as he waited patiently for me to finish.

He considered the dream for a few minutes until he turned back toward me and said in the most shocked tone, "They're back."

"Huh? Who's back, Grandpa?" I asked. He shook his head and faced the lake again. He had a look on his face. For the first time, he actually looked...scared. I kept staring at him, hoping the intensity of my eyes on his face would wear him down and make him tell me. But he just sat there.

All of a sudden, slamming of a truck door snapped me out of my glare and Grandpa out of his thoughts. Grandma was walking up the dirt trail that lead to the cabin while carrying two bags full of vegetables and fruits. Grandpa suddenly got out of the rocker chair and fast walked down the trail to meet her halfway.

I saw Grandpa urgently saying something to her, but I couldn't make out what he was saying. Grandma's eyes bulged at what he was saying and she froze. She finally walked away from Grandpa and slowly made her way into the cabin while Grandpa walked back over to me.

"What's going on?"

Grandpa sighed and he explained, "Look...I know this might sound strange and I don't want you to argue. But you, your brothers, and Samantha need to leave now. That dream was a sign of great danger."

I just stood where I was. He wanted us to leave? But we just got here.

"Do we really have to leave?"

"Yes. I told you not to argue with me. Just leave and i'll explain later." he said with great annoyance.

I shook my head and agreed to it. Grandpa made his way over to the edge of the lake and motioned Nate over. He explained to Nate and Nate explained to everyone else. We didn't believe in signs and bad luck, but we had never seen Grandpa or Grandma like this, so we decided to take their warnings seriously this time.

It took us two hours to pack up everything and to double check our list before we finally settled ourselves into our shared Jeep Cherokee. We slowly drove away from the log cabin. The last thing they saw was Grandpa and Grandma talking on the porch.

_(Dena POV) _

As I watched my grandson's jeep drive away, I made my way into the kitchen to dial a number on the old phone that we only used for emergencies. I counted three rings before I heard a woman's voice.

"Hello?" asked the sweet natured Topanga. She was another elder that lived on the east side of the lake with her husband, Chaim.

"It's me Dena. I'm just calling because my grandson had a dream last night and Mac sees danger. All I can say is..._they're_ here."

I heard Topanga's startled gasp and could practically see her clutching her hand over her heart.

We both knew what was happening and what was coming next. And it wasn't going to be good. Not for anyone.

* * *

Name Meanings:

_Topanga: Where the mountain meets the sea_

_Chaim: Life_


	4. AN

One word guys. School.

Okay so I know yall really wanted this to be a chapter, but school is making me insane. I hate that it keeps on giving me work when I need it the least. Add Current Events, a paper on Arkansas, a book report, and a science project, and it equals stress overload.

So now i'm sitting in an empty house, locked in my room, sitting at my desk, drinking Diet Coke, eating Smarties, turning on my lava lamp, and trying to look up facts about Arkansas. So boring...at least the Arkansas part.

Believe me when I say that the second I get a break, that I will start trying to finish this story. I keep on pushing it to the side for some reason. I love the plot that I worked on and I want you guys to read it so badly! Same goes for my other story, "Lovely Years". And finishing unfinished stories is one of my resolution. So I'm going to try to check that off my list.

School just ruins your life sometimes.

I'll still pop on here with the small breaks I have. I'll still read yalls awesome stories and review. I just won't have time to write any of my…._weird_stories.

Deuces for now!

{doo-sis}_Def._ slang for peace


	5. Graduation

Author's Note: All I got to say is heck yeah! I think I might be back, baby. :) Hopefully, things at school will slow down soon. It better because I want to get back to writing on Fanfiction and Fictionpress. And hey, if you like my stories on here, maybe you'll like my work on Fictionpress (hint, hint). Well here it is. A new chapter! Hope you like it.

* * *

_(Saturday, May 22, 2010) _

_Staring in to the eyes of a demon, my first thought was to run. I ran as fast as I could through the forest but I wasn't moving. It was like being on a treadmill. Suddenly, I was pushed to the ground and I looked up in to the eyes of the devil. But there wasn't just one. Several satans were behind me with maroon eyes just staring at me like I was a piece of meat. There was a snapping sound by a near by tree and suddenly their attention was directed elsewhere. _

_A growl rung out like a bomb, but I couldn't see what it was. I was half blind in the unfamiliar terrain. The demons that surrounded me looked ready to fight, but all but one disappeared. With an easy breeze, they were gone. The last red eyed creature stared at me one last time, recognition in its eyes, __and then there were none__. The growling was gone and I was alone. That was when I heard my name being called._

"_Sam. Sam. Wake up."_

/./

"Wake up!" I opened my eyes and found Gram staring at me. "Sweetheart, are you all right? You were tossing and turning."

Lifting myself in to a sitting position, I ran a hand threw my messy hair and said, "Yeah, I'm fine. It was just a nightmare."

Gram nodded. She walked over to my desk chair and held up my graduation gown to where I could see it. It was a dark navy color that went well with my hair color. "I can't believe you're graduating today. It seems like just yesterday that you were born and we were all singing happy birthday to you in the hospital room."

I smiled. "Yeah, I know. I can't believe I'm eighteen. I feel so old, Gram."

She folded my gown and set it on my desk, making sure to place my cap on top. "Honey, you don't know what old is yet. You're way too young for that."

Gram stared at me for a second with a loving look and then sat on the end of my bed. "Sam, is it okay if I give you your graduation present right now?"

Nodding my head, I said yes. She put a small, square box in my hands and I quickly opened it. Inside was a charm bracelet with a few charms already hooked on to it. A tiny teddy bear to resemble the stuffed animal that I got from Dallas when I was born, a Gemini sign to represent the time frame I was born in, a small lightning bolt (probably Brynna's idea) for my love of the Harry Potter series, and a jewel encrusted horse.

"Thank you so much, Gram!" And then I was hugging her. I did truly like the gift. She pulled away and said, "Well you need to get up. Your dad just wants you to feed the horses this morning and after that, you're free to hang out with Jen until graduation tonight. Now is Mrs. Coley still going to do your hair or do I need to take you to the hair salon?"

"No, she said that she's going to do my hair and then do Jen and Ally." Gram nodded and left me alone in my room. I put on plain jeans and a ripped t-shirt to start off my chores.

_(6:49PM, Fellowship Baptist Church in Reno)_

The day seemed to fly by. It was now almost time to finally graduate. I couldn't believe I was actually graduating. It seemed like a dream. I sat on one of the long benches in the front of the church that were reserved for the seniors and listened to the new school principal making a welcome speech to all of the families. Fellowship was a large church, so you had to call ahead of time to get the good seats. And of course with my dad's bad luck, him, Brynna, Gram, Cody, Dallas, Ross, and Pepper all had to sit in the seats that were at the back, top half of the church. I looked over my shoulder and looked up at them. Brynna waved at me, dad took a picture of me, and Cody dropped the stuffed lion that he brought with him everywhere on another parents head. I laughed at that. Looking around next to my family, I didn't see the Ely's. They thought of me as family and said that they were going to come to support me.

_So where are they? More importantly, where is Jake?_

_(7:01 PM, Lake Tahoe) (Jake POV)_

_I shouldn't be here. Scratch that…I don't __want__ to be here. _I thought as I sat down on the handmade log bench that grandpa made. We were all supposed to be at Sam's graduation, but my grandparents said that they needed to talk to all of us about something important. They said it was 'life altering', but we were still clueless at to what was going on. I looked around at everyone. My brothers (minus Kit), my parents, and some other people from the Shoshoni tribe that I didn't recognize. Sitting right across from me were two elders that lived across the lake from granddad and their granddaughter. The elders were named Chaim and Topanga and their granddaughter was named Rozene. The elders that sat beside my parents were named Reeves and Tala. They to had a granddaughter who's name was Sora. There was also two other guys about my age who introduced themselves as Shawn and Devlin.

I was talking to Shawn when all of the elders rose out of their seats. Shawn gave me a look that said he didn't know what was going on either. None of us did. Suddenly, grandpa started speaking in a tone that sounded horrified. He was scared, but he never got scared. _What's going on?_

The words that grandpa spoke shocked and surprised us. By the looks of everyone's faces, we were all thinking the same thing. _What? How?_ The news shocked us so much that we didn't notice when it started to rain.

_(Sam POV)_

My graduation was over and the Ely's never showed up. I remember the feeling of wanting to cry when I was on stage, holding my diploma, and shaking the principal's hand. Waving and smiling at my family who were applauding me, I was secretly tearing up. Walking off the stage, I was crying. Throwing my cap up in to the air with fellow graduates, I was still crying.

Right at this moment, I was back in the barn at River Bend. Usually new graduates would go to a party that's always held after graduation. But I really didn't like parties. My family and I went to Clara's to celebrate for an hour, but we were soon back home. Everyone else was inside the house probably sleeping while I was alone in the barn. One of the few places I felt comfortable in. I was grooming Tempest to clear my thoughts, but I stopped at the sound of a soft pitter patter on the roof. I walked outside to see rain falling from the sky. When I was little, Jake always called the rain something else. He said that the rain was just Mother Nature crying, so that's what I like to think of it as. It sounded so much better, so pure. Perfectly beautiful.

_I hope Jake notices that Mother Nature is crying tonight. She must be very sad._

_(Jake POV)_

Standing on the porch of the log cabin looking up at the sky, I felt peaceful. Everyone else was inside sleeping away the news that the elders shared with us. _How can this be happening?_

The rain from earlier still hadn't stopped; I was happy about that because I like the rain. I remember back when I was little when everything was simple. When I didn't have this new weight on my shoulders. I recall standing beside a five year old Sam in the barn back at Three Ponies looking up at the gray clouds while it was raining.

/./

"_Do you like the rain Jake?" she said. I looked at my young friend and smiled. "Yeah. You know it's really just Mother Nature crying."_

"_Really? Does that mean she's sad?" I nodded my head and answered, "Yep…I wonder what she's crying about."_

_Sam gazed up at me. "Maybe something bad is going to happen soon." It took me a minute to answer her. "Yeah…maybe."_

/./

It seemed so long ago now. I guess Sam was right, something bad did happen and it was never going to go away. I was going to be an animal soon and Sam is going to hate me. I hope she had a good time tonight and I hope she's being soothed to sleep by the rain right now.

As the thunder boomed across the sky, I walked back inside the cabin hoping that sleep will comfort me.

* * *

Name Meanings:

Rozene: _'a rose'_  
Reeves: _'steward'_  
Tala: _'wolf'_  
Sora: _'chirping songbird'_  
Shawn: _'God is gracious'_  
Devlin: '_brave, fierce'_


	6. The Devil's Forest

Long time, no see! So I'm back or at least I think I might be coming back. I'm sorry. Let's just say I got distracted with other things. School, homework, writing contest (that you can check out on my profile if you want to), reading (by the way, have you guys ever read The Hunger Games trilogy? If you haven't, READ IT! It's the best book series, only second to Harry Potter), and other things. Lately I've been very busy with mid-term stuff and, well, I felt like writing. Funny how that happens? When you need to study, you get sudden inspiration. :) You see, I started to miss the PS section and this story, so I thought I would try to continue it. I hope you guys aren't too mad. Please forgive me. :( Anyways, I will not post another chapter right away. Mid-terms are next week and plus, the holidays are here! So, this chapter will have to last.

I hope you enjoy reading. And early holiday cheer: Happy Christmas and have a Lovely New Year! (And yes, I do say them like that! Don't judge me. :p) -Anna (Miss I'm Back!)

* * *

_(Friday-June 4, 2010)_

Usually when I'm out riding Ace, I feel complete and free from the real world. The wind blowing against my face as blurs of flora surround me is supposed to make me happy. But not today. Today, it is suffocating me. The shades of green that blur past me look black as the sun begins to set and the air is muggy from the morning's shower. And it sickens me.

But why am I unhappy right now? I just graduated, I have a family who loves me, the horses, everything. But I don't have Jake anymore. And that's because it's been almost two weeks since I last saw him. We've never been apart longer than a few days, minus the two years in San Francisco, and now...we have spent a full thirteen days apart.

I guess the saying is true. You never know what you've got until it's gone. I know Jake is not _gone_, but it feels like he is. Why would he just ignore me? Why didn't he come to see me graduate? Why hasn't he called and explained? I have to know why.

_Should I go to his house and confront him_, I asked myself. _No, Sam. Follow Gram's advice and give him time. He might just be sick.  
_  
But Jake Ely does not get sick. Ever.

I jump a bit off the saddle when I suddenly feel Ace moving without my consent. He must have been getting bored while I was off in my own world. I run my hands through Ace's mane and before I know it, we have turned around from our previous direction and are heading back home at a walk.

While we're making our way home, I look to my left and see the forest that ends War Drum Flats. I've never been in them before, although I've always been curious. My dad would kill me if he ever found out I even thought about going in there.

_But dad doesn't have to find out.  
_  
And there goes the evil part of my mind speaking to me again. I've always listened to that part of my mind, might as well just do it to end my curiosity. I tilt my head to the right and stare into the narrow path that leads into the woods, overgrown with roots. Too narrow for Ace to squeeze through.

I dismount from Ace, tie his reins around a thin tree trunk, and whisper, "Sorry, buddy. The woods aren't for you." After making sure the reins were tight enough, I entered the woods for the first time.

The woods looks like what woods should look like. Somewhat dark from the setting sun, muddy ground, roots and twigs on the ground that make you trip every ten seconds, tall trees. This place was beautiful. I had been walking for ten minutes when I hear it. What was that? A snap of a twig, the rustling of leaves, birds falling silent. The silence made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up straight. And suddenly, I don't want to be there anymore. I know I sound like a scared little girl, but this silence scares me. It reminds me of those scary movies when the main character is being adventurous and it takes a deadly turn.

_Oh, wait...no Sam! This isn't a scary movie! This is reality and monsters do not exist._

I roll my eyes at myself for being so childish and turn around to walk back to Ace, but I'm stopped by red eyes staring back at me.

"Holy shi-"

"Shh..." His voice was deep, yet calming. And he was so handsome that it was scary. With milk chocolate skin, biceps that were almost as big as my head, and being a whole foot taller than me, he looked good, but his eyes...those red eyes. Those weren't natural.

I am afraid when I ask, "Wh-who are you?"

He smirked and took one step closer to me. "Let's just say, I am the end. Or at least for you."

Wait, what? Is this guy a psycho or something? "Um, okay sure. Look, I've got to get home, okay?"

The guy shook his head and laughed like I had told him the world's funniest joke. With his laughter halting and his smile wide, he said, "Oh Samantha Forster, you are a funny one. But I must inform you that you're not leaving. Maybe I should explain. I was sent to find you. I was sent to end you. And when I say 'end', I mean kill. You see, Samantha, I am a murderer. And you must die."

My eyes were wide, my mouth hung open, and I was clueless. Is this real? I was about to try to walk off again because I honestly believe he's nuts, when he gripped me by both of my shoulders.

"Ow! That hurts!" He softly smiled at me and leaned down towards me. Is he going to...kiss me? Right when he gets an inch from my lips, he inhales the air and his eyes glisten with what I would call a mix between lust and hunger. As his eyes close, his nose shifts sideways and he takes a whiff of my shoulder. And he groans. "You smell just like _she _said you would."

His eyes open to reveal that shocking bright, blood red and the familiar wave of shock and terror feel me up once again. But then before he can _murder _me, a howl starts. The man in front of me blinks and then, out of nowhere, comes a...what is that? Whatever it is, it runs in front of me, snatching the murderous man by the neck and running off with him.

I place my hand over my heart the same way Gram does when she hears a swear word and gaze after the dark brown creature that I think just saved my life. It's out of my view when I see another creature in my peripheral vision. I turn and I come to the conclusion that it's some type of wolf. But it's not normal. Wolves are not supposed to be bigger than me.

The black wolf suddenly looks away from the spot where the first wolf ran off and stares directly at me. I back up a step as to get away and the wolf fixes me with familiar eyes. The wolf has been frozen in that same spot and doesn't seem to want to hurt me. This might be my only chance.

So I turn around and run straight for Ace.

.

As I lay in bed that night, bedroom window locked and lights out, I can't stop thinking about the encounter in the woods with the man and the wolves. That terrible, evil man who wanted to kill me, the wolf that saved my life, and the other wolf who seemed to guard me from other dangers.

How can something like this happen? These things only happen in books and movies, not reality. What is happening?

.

That night, my dreams showed me only two pairs of eyes. Hungry, lustful red eyes and eyes that reminded me so much of a mustang.


	7. Haunted

_(Saturday-June 5, 2010) Jake POV_

Why me? The question keeps flashing before my closed eyelids as I lay in my bed. I know it's dawn by the sound of the shower running and the smell of bacon that's making my stomach growl.

I haven't eaten since yesterday morning, I didn't sleep at all last night, and because of that and all of the events that happened yesterday, I have a migraine. I'm hungry, exhausted, and stressed, but I feel so much more. Confused, guilty, but most of all…angry. All of a sudden, there are the words again. _Why me?_

The events of yesterday come flooding back as I finally open my eyes to face the new day.

The strong odor, the hunt, the voices in my head coming from two others, the smell of blood. But most of all, the sight of _her._

I need sleep, I need food, I need _answers_. I need Grandpa.

.

_(Lake Tahoe-11:00 AM) _

"Jacob, I didn't expect you here so early. The meeting is not for another three hours."

"I know, but I need to ask you a few questions about…" The white-haired old man nodded understandably before I could finish talking and widened the cabin door to let me into his home. Once I was sitting on one of the leather couches with Grandpa sitting opposite of me, I began to talk. Or at least try, it was more like babbling. But luckily, Grandpa stopped me.

"What is this about? You said you had questions...about the gene. What's got you worked up? I thought I explained it to you and your brothers?"

"You did, but..." I swallowed my nerves and continued. "Well, something happened yesterday while we were hunting. Something that I can't explain. I can't stop thinking about it and I just - I don't know what to do."

He nodded, just as confused as I am, and asked, "What happened?"

"We found him, the bloodsucker, out in the woods near War Drum Flats and...Sam was there. If Quinn and I hadn't showed up in time, she would have died. Quinn chased him away from her and I was about to go help him, but then Sam looked at me. And..." I felt my heart speed up at the image of her staring into my eyes yesterday and looked down at the hardwood floors, hoping that Grandpa could understand me without any more words.

"Jacob." I looked up at the sound of his voice. He sounds almost proud. Or is that approval? The look on his face matches his voice as he looks at me with wide eyes and a small smile. "I think I know what's going on with you. Let me explain..."

_Finally, I'm getting answers._

.

That night after I had talked to Grandpa, after the meeting, after another hunt, I was finally able to sleep. It took forever, but I eventually got there. I thought Grandpa's words would never leave me. And they did leave for awhile after I fell into a dreamless sleep, but they were soon plagued by the statement Grandpa made and _her. _Don't get me wrong, it was a very good dream, but how could this happen to me? Why Sam of all people?

My dreams were haunted by what happened yesterday in the forest. How the setting sun above the trees made a halo around her hair, making it look more of a red color than auburn. The way the few freckles on her nose stood out and the way her brown eyes pierced me to the core. She made me do something that I've never done before in my life. I froze. I wasn't able to move or look away from the image of her. It was like nothing I'd ever felt before.

The image of my family, my few friends, Witch, and everyone and everything that I have ever loved vanished. None of them mattered. None of them held me where I was right at this moment. But that's not all, new images flashed before me.

My three year old self being handed a baby Sam and carefully holding her for the first time, comforting her when she cried as a young child, teasing her about her hair color, riding horses together, calling her Brat for the first time, seeing her get kicked in the head by a hoof, her blood, her return, the warmth that appeared as she wrapped her arms around my waist when she pretended that we were going to get married, her giggling like a school girl, her full blown laughter, the way her hand felt in mine at the bonfire.

But one memory stood out, one that I don't ever want to forget. The way she looked when she was dancing with Jennifer the night of the New Year's Eve bonfire. The way Jen twirled her; hair (made brighter by the flames) splaying out everywhere, her head tipped back a little bit, her lips pulled up in a smile. That memory was mesmerizing. The way it played over and over again in my dreams made me never want to wake up.

_Again and again, her twirling. Fast, regular motion, slow motion. _

Memories that were once considered small turned into the most important.

All in a quick second, my world changed. It now revolved around one person and one person only.

_Samantha.  
_

* * *

Author's Note: Yeah, another one. Just wanted to let you all know that I posted a few pictures on the bottom of my profile of Sam, Jake, and two others so far. Thought you might be interested. :) Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter.


End file.
